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Well, dudes I was all ready to go with my first post in ages– a typical Wednesday Wants. But when it comes down to it, what kind of Batman fan would I be if I didn’t make a special post for Batman’s 75th anniversary! A shit one, that’s what kind.

It’s no secret to anyone that’s ever met me that I LOVE me some Batman and the whole Bat Universe. Everyday, my dad posts a new Adam West picture on my Facebook wall. Hell, the picture my coworkers posted on our library’s website to say goodbye to me was a sad Dick Grayson.

In Batman: No Man’s Land, Gotham has faced a devastating earthquake which basically destroys the entire city. The government declares Gotham a “No Man’s Land” and destroys all bridges leading in and out (seems like a trend in Gotham… maybe they should find better entrnces and exits).

So there’s all sorts of power struggles and turf wars and gang violence. PLUS, this storyline marks the first appearance of both Harley Quinn in the DCU proper AND Cassandra Cain, the second Batgirl! Totally recommended!

Oh, and did I mention that it’s penned by my favorite comic book writer of all time, Greg Rucka? Oh yeah. That!

Bruce Wayne: Murderer?/Fugitive

In this storyline, Bruce Wayne is accused of a murder most foul! The evidence is so damning, even the rest of the Batfamily has their doubts! Bruce is in jail for a while, and thus can ONLY be Bruce for a good amount of time. Bats decides that Bruce Wayne is, in fact, the mask and shuns the identity altogether and escapes, leaving the whole Batfamily to untangle the mystery Batty Bats has left behind.

There’s lots of good Batfam feelings up in here, which is what Elyses like best!

Streets of Gotham: Leviathan

One of my very favorite books in the Bat Universe was the short lived Streets of Gotham! It told the stories of crime in Gotham from street level– through the eyes of characters around town, rather than through the eyes of Batman. It’s no secret that Dick and Damian are my favorite duo, so naturally I’m gonna like this book.

This is the second trade in the series and features a really scary story involving Damian (who is just starting to show that he has a heart), Viktor Zsasz, and a character that I wish would come back: Colin Wilkes! Pick it up y’all, for real.

Batman: The Black Mirror

More Dick Grayson as Bats! This is the beginning of Scott Snyder’s reign as the best Batman writer of our time! In this’n, Bruce has come back and Damian is working with him, leaving DickBats to work solo as…. uh… other Batman.

This one introduces James Gordon Jr, who will give you the creeps something FIERCE! You’ll definitely feel on edge throughout the entirety of the book. I CANNOT recommend this more more if I tried. If you haven’t read it, then what the fuck are you even doing?! Get on it! And pick up all of Snyder’s other stuff while you’re at it!

So there you have just a few of my favorites! What are your favorite Batman stories?

About a month ago, I let y’all know that my blogging may be sparse because of my boyfriend’s health problems. Well. The issues have gotten bad enough that we’ve decided to make a big life change.

Two years ago, we moved to Steve’s home– Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I love Pittsburgh, but as time went on, we realized we’d made a mistake. City life just doesn’t suit us, now that he’s in his thirties and, at heart, I am about eighty-four. These feelings built up until Steve started to become very ill two months ago. So two weeks ago, we made the decision to move back to my home-state, Virginia, to live with his family for a while as he recovers. It’s easily been the most stressful time of both of our lives and we just need to get back to a support system.

Though that’s the main reason for our move, I also just love my home with a huge passion. Richmond, Virginia is my heart. I can’t wait to get back! There’s so much that I miss!

So, things will still be a little quiet around here while we pack and move (~mid-to-late July). But I promise I’ll be back on it with a vengeance once I’m settled into my new home. After all, I don’t have a job lined up yet, haha!

Whenever someone asks me who my very favorite comic book character is, I’m always tempted to take the easy path. I really like Dick Grayson, so why not say, “Robin?” Everyone knows who that is! Or Wonder Woman. I do love Wonder Woman. But in the end, I could never betray my top favorite!

So who the hell is my favorite? Why, The Greatest Hero You’ve Never Heard Of:

BOOSTER GOLD aka MICHAEL JON CARTER

This answer never fails to get me a side-eye, a “why?!” or a “who?!” Yeah, yeah. I know. As far as mainstream superheroes go, Booster Gold is a bit different from his caped peers and that can make for a really off-putting character for some people. What I want to do is shine a little light on a character that doesn’t get enough attention and make him more accessible to the masses!

LETSA GO!

HISTORY

His story starts in the 25th century, where Batman and Superman are historical figures! He was a star football player in college, hoping to make it into the big leagues when his mother fell very ill. She required treatment that their family couldn’t afford, so he started betting on and throwing his own football games. Unfortunately, he was caught, arrested, kicked out of school, and disowned by the mother he risked everything to help!

After being released from jail, he managed to get a job as a night watchmen at the Metropolis Space Museum. After seeing pictures and artifacts from heroes of the past (well… the present for us), Booster decided he wanted to be a hero too! But what’s a dude to do if he’s been shamed and humiliated in his own time? Steal Rip Hunter’s time machine, a super suit, a flight ring, and become a super hero in the past, obviously!

Booster hooks up with manager Max Lord in order to win fame and glory in our time! Max forms the new Justice League International, with Booster as a main player, and thus the shenanigans begin!

WHY I LOVE BOOSTER

When the people who even know who he is find out that Booster Gold is my favorite super hero, they do NOT get it. Booster is an egomaniacal showboater who would do anything for a buck, they say! He’s goofy and has no idea what he’s doing! Why on earth would I like a character like that?

It’s true, that’s how Booster started out. But over the 20-some years of his character’s existence, he’s been one of the most dynamic heroes I’ve ever read. Here are some of the main reasons I love Booster so much.

His Friendship with Ted Kord!

One of the first, fastest, and biggest developments for Booster Gold’s character was becoming friends with the second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord. Let me tell ya– these dudes have caused me so much laughter and so many tears!

Their friendship had many ups and downs, but I challenge anyone to find a stronger relationship (platonic, romantic, or otherwise) than theirs. Ted’s death affected Booster so profoundly that it lead to a drastic change in his character as he mourned for several years.

He’s Funny!

You may think it’s a recent fad, but the trend towards the grim and gritty and serious within comics is nothing new. In an era of over-manliness (lookin’ at you, late 80’s and early 90’s), Booster was different! It’s a character that dared to kinda silly. He’s always getting himself in trouble and getting into shenanigans. That’s the kind of stuff that I’m interested in!

His Character Development!

As I just mentioned, Ted’s death had a huge impact on Booster Gold and his character started to go through many changes. All of these changes have been really organic and human. In his final run before the New 52, he’s sacrificed his reputation and continued to let people think he was a self-serving idiot looking for cash, all the while saving other heroes without them knowing about it. He grew into a really stand-up guy, adopting a daughter and leading his old Justice League group against Max Lord one more time.

SO YOU WANNA READ SOME BOOSTER?

I’m gonna be straight up with y’all. I do not like what’s happened to Booster in the New52. Luckily for you dudes, there’s a load of Boosterful comics to read pre-Flashpoint! And you know it just wouldn’t be a comics post by Elyse if I didn’t lay down the fundamentals chronologically**!

**Not everything Booster has been in has been collected (for instance, the 90’s run called Extreme Justice). I’ve only included things that are available to read in trades or hardcovers and have linked to where I’ve managed to find them to purchase.

The book that dared to be different! Like I mentioned before, the late-80’s and early-90’s was a dark, macho time for comics– maybe even more-so than now! And you’ve got Frank Miller to thank for that! His The Dark Knight Returns changed the tone of comics completely and they haven’t been the same since! That didn’t jive with everyone, though. So J. M. DeMatteis, Keith Giffen, and Kevin Maguire teamed up to fight the grittiness with an all-new Justice League! A funny one! In this run, Booster meets Ted Kord and the biggest bromance of DC comics is born!

Way after disbanding, Max Lord tries to get the team together again to make a buck or two! This is where it starts to get really goofy! There’s trouble in paradise as Booster and Ted’s relationship becomes rocky! Oh, the drama!

Same feel as “Formerly Known…” Lots of goofiness! Booster accidentally transports the team to the depths of hell where they must run a fast food restaurant called “Beelze Burger.” While these two books are really silly, they contained clues as to what would soon be happening within the greater DCU in the form of the Funny Aneurysm trope!

In this one, things start to get serious. Booster has given up the superhero life after the tragic events of Identity Crisis, but agrees to get back in the business when Ted Kord notices something very nefarious going on within his company. Nobody takes Ted seriously due to his B-hero status, except for Booster. And everyone will come to regret that.

Not to be confused with the New 52, 52 was a comic that detailed the goings-on in the year directly following Infinite Crisis. Booster is back to his money-grubbing ways in this one, causing his reputation with other heroes to become even worse than it was (and it wasn’t good to begin with, y’all!). While Booster is the star of one of the volumes, the other volumes are actually really great too! Totally recommended!

Finally his own solo run again, hooray! Booster just wants to get back into the Justice League after ruining his reputation, but, needless to say, nobody’s feelin’ that. The others offer him a tentative membership, if he can manage to not be shitty– something he’s finally mature enough to accomplish. Unfoooortunately, Rip Hunter comes along and informs him that he must help to repair a goofed up time stream, and to do that he must draw as little attention and respect from other heroes as possible. So while saving every other hero’s life, he must outwardly appear to be the idiot he once was.

Max Lord is back! He’s erased everyone’s memory of his existence except for the original Justice League International and things get personal when everyone seems to remember Ted’s death as a suicide rather than a murder. Booster takes the lead hunting Max down in this really cool run that I’ve read maybe 15 times!

After all of this came Flashpoint, the crossover event that rebooted DC’s entire continuity. Booster is one of the few time travelers in DC and is important to this event because he might just be the only one who now remembers the world before the New 52. What comes of that remains to be seen, but hopefully we’ll find out soon!

So there ya have it! You may decide you want to read some Booster Gold, you might not. But should you try it out and like what you read, please consider supporting the one-shot (Booster Gold: Future’s End #1) coming out soon. With comics, it’s always a “vote with your dollars” situation and the only way to keep your favorite comics going is by actually buying them. Despite what I think about the new Booster, I have to believe that supporting him will lead to good things!

What up dudes?! It has been a busy week at work for me! Next week is summer reading, so libraries all over the country are losing their brains trying to get ready. I make the displays, so I’ve got no time at work to blog (wha? who said that? I don’t do that! that aint me!). But I DO make a hella great display, so it’ll all be worth it!

Booster Gold is back! Hooray hooray! It’s no secret that Booster is my favorite character! So even when I’m utterly terrified that he won’t be portrayed in a way that is faithful to the spirit of the character I’ve come to love, I’m still excited that he’s getting any attention at all! But what dafuq is that powered armor? Yuck-o!

Sooooooo dreamy, I need it! When I was a kid, I really looked up to Sailor Jupiter! She was always trying to reconcile her outward appearance and reputation with her love of girly things and gentle heart. As a kid with a reputation for being a troublemaker (thanks a million, ADHD-PI), she was an idol for me!

I’m really into pleated skirts right now because they make hips look a bit bigger. Now, my hips are plenty wide, but I like them as wide-looking as possible! I might be one of the few people on the planet who feels this way, but I really like a good set of hips! It helps even out my ridiculous bust and just looks purdy, if you ask me!

McFLYeee! I had and still have the biggest crush ever in the whole world on Michael J Fox! What is he? Like 50 years old now? Here’s a thing: when I first met my now-boyf, I thought he was so cute because he;s tiny and had a boyish face and voice, just like Michael J Fox, heheh.

Hey dudes! Wow! What a month. Well, not here on the blog, obviously. But in life, things have been a roller coaster! As usual, the fates were not on my side (I swear I’m one of the unluckiest people I’ve ever met), but we’ve made it to the middle of the year, and I’d dead set on making things go my way from here on out! So let’s wrap up May and throw that shit in the dumpster, shall we?

♫ NEW HAIR

Let’s at least start with the good, shall we? A you can see, I’ve gone bright! On top is Punky Color Flamingo Pink fading down into Punky Color Plum! I’m really really fond of it and have gotten almost nothing but compliments! Even from people I expected would hate it! The purple faded a bit more quickly than the pink, so I’m going to do a good touch-up soon, but overall the staying power of this brand is TOPS compared to Manic Panic. A++ would use again!

♫ NOROVIRUS

Annnnnd the bad. The day after Memorial Day, I was stricken with the worst virus I’ve ever had in my entire fuckin’ life! I woke up and immediately told my fella, Steve, “something isn’t right…” How correct I was. A couple hours later, my whole body was in intense pain, I had a fever, I was too weak to walk. I thought sleeping it off would help, but after a short nap, the vomiting began. I have literally never felt SO bad in my entire life. With about a million precautions, I avoided spreading it to anyone. I wouldn’t wish it on an enemy!

♫ THE WORLD WARS

I’m gonna be straight with y’all. I am pretty much a history dunce. I LOVE history, but the way I was taught it in school never caught my attention. I cannot learn a million exact dates. Doesn’t the importance of learning history lie in the significance of the events rather than the day it occurred? Harumph! But this mini series by the History Channel (just like The Men Who Built America) really captures my attention! I’m learning SO much I didn’t know about WWI and WWII! Love it!

♫ What I’m Listening to:

Remioromen – Konayuki(I used to LOVE this song and I’m obsessed with it again lately!)

Uncharted (My boyf loved Last of Us so much, I’m having him watch me play Uncharted… Yes, he watches while I play, haha)

I really want to take the time to thank everyone for your really kind words on my hiatus post! Things are crazy right now for my boyfriend. I won’t get into the details, but it’s really taking a toll on the two of us. It means so much to me that y’all care enough to offer encouragement. We’ll get through it, I’m sure. Thanks so much! Love you guys!

So a lot has been going on for me. My boyfriend is having some health problems lately and I’ve had to kind of help take care of him. Because of this, I haven’t had very much time to blog lately (as you’ve probably noticed!) and wanted to give you the heads up that I’ll be absent for probably about another week.

I’m bummed out because I do love blogging and have some cool posts lined up, but I’m just too physically and emotionally exhausted to work on them right now.

Thanks for being my pals and for being an awesome community. If you want to keep up with me (read: my griping!), you can follow me on Twitter, the button for which is over on my sidebar!

Another Wednesday is HERE! The coming weekend for me is going to be C-RAZY! I’m getting my roots touched up and then I’m touching up my berry hair. On Sunday it’s my boyfriend’s birthday! He’s turning the big 3-0! Not only that, but it’s also his dad’s birthday! But wait, you say? Isn’t this Sunday Mother’s Day in the US? Yes! It is! So we’re celebrating him, his dad, his mom, and my mom! Busy busy!

I’m just dying over tulle lately! I love dressing it up with something really tough or edgy looking like a studded denim vest or a leather jacket! I want a tulle skirt in every color and won’t stop until I’ve got ’em (or become bored with ’em, haha).